Term of Award
Summer 2026
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Psychology
Committee Chair
Ryan Couillou
Committee Member 1
Thresa Yancey
Committee Member 2
Melissa Hinely
Abstract
The current study aimed to identify potential intervention targets to address the negative experiences impacting Black students at a 4-year public university in the rural southeast and improve their retention and graduation rates. Specifically, the study evaluated students' sense of belonging, psychological and physical safety perceptions, same-race friendships, and perceived institutional support. Five hypotheses were tested: (1) Black students would report a lower sense of belonging compared to White students, (2) Black students would have lower perceptions of psychological and physical safety, (3) sense of belonging would be positively correlated with the number of same-race friendships and perceived institutional support among Black students, (4) perceptions of safety would be positively correlated with same-race friendships and institutional support among Black students, and (5) the influence of these factors would differ between rural and non-rural participants. The final sample comprised 306 students, including 80 Black and 226 White participants. Contrary to what was anticipated, the results indicated no significant differences between Black and White students in their sense of social belonging or perceptions of safety. However, an unexpected finding was that Black students reported significantly higher academic belonging scores than White students. This underscores the importance of academic support and the potential impact it can have on Black students' experiences. The study found that among Black students, sense of belonging was positively correlated with the number of same-race friendships and perceived institutional support, highlighting the potential role of these factors in fostering a sense of community. Additionally, psychological safety was significantly correlated with institutional support, suggesting that institutional support is crucial for Black students' sense of safety. This finding emphasizes the need for robust institutional support systems to ensure the safety and well-being of Black students. In contrast, physical safety did not show significant correlations with same-race friendships or institutional support. The findings underscore the importance of institutional support in fostering a safe and inclusive environment for Black students and the need for concerted efforts to strengthen these support systems.
Recommended Citation
Flores, Silvia, "Sense of Belonging and Perceptions of Safety Among Black College Students: The Role of Same-Race Friendships and Institutional Support" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations.
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
